Public speaking 101: A lesson in leadership from Obama

When US president Barack Obama intimately addresses Federal Cabinet today, Australian politicians will experience a level of performance they are not usually exposed to; for most it will be an unforgettable highlight.

Invariably their radars will tune into information about policy direction, presidential insights and American perspectives about different issues. But regardless of what he says, they should pay close attention to his delivery.

This is an opportunity for our elected representatives to listen to the outstanding professional communicator of our generation, the finest American political speaker since Martin Luther King. First and foremost, Mr Obama should trigger awakenings about the importance of communication skills to politicians. After listening to him, Australian politicians should clear their eyes, look into mirror, appraise their own abilities, commit to raising their standards and taking away some of Obama's qualities by osmosis.

Why? Because communication skills are a fundamental requirement of their job description - the Australian electorate deserves politicians with better than B-grade communication skills. Our politicians should rate well on listenability, clarity, understandability and expression. Obviously they also should pass tests of character and competence, be intelligent and committed and promote good policy. But it is clear that the communication skills of most Australian politicians are not in the same league as those in England and America.

What should our politicians learn from Mr Obama? They can start by listening to the sound-map of Mr Obama's voice and take note of his resonance, speech manner, his adroit sense of timing and musical presentation of his voice. His speech virtues begin with a combination of accurate and crisp articulation, beautifully timed speech rate and commanding presence. He has license and he willingly uses it. He is able to infuse passion into his speech and while he is understated, he does have remnants of speech gifts learned from preachers. Yet he never seems to over-do the passion.

He has control over his emotional range and the intensity in his voice can be raised or lowered at will. His voice is powerful enough to maintain a consistent volume setting and he applies his vocal power very cleverly; rather than using it to over-power he uses its foundation to hold up his voice and buy him space. This is where his multi-tonal resonance is evident; Obama's resonant voice is very listenable. His vocal strength and energy is easily detectible - he wastes very little. It is evident that during long and loud speeches he doesn't easily get hoarse as most people would. This suggests that he's well practiced at exercising his vocals without misusing them.

His speech manner is highlighted by many qualities - it has style and panache, can be warm when required, and he easily steps into his statesman-like mode. He is confident and relaxed with his personality and appears to be as natural as you can be in public. Telltale signs are that his facial muscles are usually relaxed and his movements are slow. He uses body language well and connects with his audience. He doesn't freeze into one position as many others do. His presentation exterior seems not to be false, nor retentive and the projection of both his personality and volume are measured yet natural. He is remarkably mostly free of yips. His presence is commanding - even when he's listening. He is a master of emphasis. He often starts his sentences quite slowly then quickens up as he sifts through detail, then strategically slows his speech rate to emphasise strategic points. In circumstances when others get macho, shrill and mad he gets serious and clear; he treats his listeners with respect. Listening to him is like listening to music, he is brilliant at using melody to enforce a point. His speech tune leads to crescendos that finish his points well. He makes it easy to anticipate when he will finish his sentences and for interactive audiences to time their applause. His spoken manner routinely applies a concluding flourish just before he finishes his point - creating a 'personality echo' He stylistically completes his sentences with downward inflections and emphatic closure; this is emblematic of his Southern American speech manner.

Yet Obama's speech skills extend beyond his delivery. He is highly articulate- he has a good mental library of words and his memory enables him to access the right words when required. His attention to detail is incisive. His judgment skills appear to be very good and he clearly has outstanding expression. He is very able at expressing his intent and expressing words that efficiently describe his message. He responds well under pressure, is able to rise to the occasion and doesn't lose the plot in the spotlight. He is very good at situation analysis - he can modulate and make incremental changes to his voice and adjust to suit. He is a quick thinker and a fluent speaker - and somehow doesn't come across as heavy.

President Obama is accomplished because he excels at so many skills. While he does not appear to be burdened by any weakness, he does set a precedent for high standards. Let's hope that he raises the bar for Australian standards also.

Dean Frenkel is a vocal instructor, speech analyst, speech coach and author of Evolution of Speech.

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